Chlorfenapyr: irritant effect compared to other insecticides and its intrinsic toxicity in multiple-insecticide-susceptible and -resistant Anopheles stephensi (Diptera: Culicidae).

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: For effective management of vector resistance there is a need for new insecticide molecules with novel modes of action. For desired toxic effect of an insecticide, apart from other behavioural aspects, toxicity and chemical nature of the molecule are important that may cause irritability in the mosquito to the insecticide affecting the uptake. In this study, a pyrrole class insecticide, chlorfenapyr (a late acting insecticide) was tested for its irritability against multiple-insecticide-susceptible and -resistant strains of Anopheles stephensi Liston 1901 (Diptera: Culicidae). METHODS: Studies were conducted to assess the irritability due to chlorfenapyr, DDT, malathion, deltamethrin and permethrin and intrinsic toxicity of chlorfenapyr in multiple-insecticide-susceptible and -resistant laboratory strains of An. stephensi following standard WHO methods. RESULTS: Chlorfenapyr molecule has shown least irritant effect against susceptible and resistant strains among all the insecticides tested allowing more landing time to the vector species on the impregnated surfaces to pick-up lethal dose. CONCLUSION: Chlorfenapyr could be an ideal insecticide for management of multiple-insecticide-resistance including pyrethroids.

Standardization of a bottle assay--an indigenous method for laboratory and field monitoring of insecticide resistance and comparison with WHO adult susceptibility test.

The WHO adult susceptibility test is in use for insecticide resistance monitoring. Presently, materials are being imported from the Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia and sometimes it is cost prohibitive. As an alternative, we present here a method of bottle bioassay using indigenous material. Different aspects related to the assay were studied and validated in the field. Bottle assay was standardized in the laboratory by using locally sourced material and laboratory-maintained insecticide-susceptible Anopheles stephensi and Aedes aegypti strains against technical grade deltamethrin and cyfluthrin insecticides dissolved in ethanol in a range of different concentrations. The frequency of use of the deltamethrin-coated bottles and shelf-life were determined. Discriminating dose for deltamethrin and cyfluthrin was 10 µg against An. stephensi and 2 µg against Ae. aegypti females. Insecticide-coated bottles stored at 25 to 35 °C can be used for three exposures within 7 days of coating. The study carried out in the laboratory was validated on wild caught An. culicifacies in the states of Odisha and Chhattisgarh against deltamethrin-coated bottles in comparison to WHO adult susceptibility test. Results of the study indicated that deltamethrin-coated bottles were effective up to three exposures within 7 days of coating for field population and 100% mortality was recorded within 35 min as observed in laboratory studies for field collected susceptible population. Also in the WHO adult susceptibility test, 100% knock-down within 35 min and 100% mortality after 24 h holding period were observed in susceptible population, while in it was 50% knock-down in 1 h and 64% mortality after 24 h holding period for resistant population (50% mortality in bottle assay in 60 min). The bottle assay can be used as an alternative to the WHO adult susceptibility test both in the laboratory and field for monitoring insecticide resistance in mosquito vectors using locally sourced material.